In Wheel Time Podcast: Your Go-To Automotive Talk Show

A used car can look perfect under the lights and still come with a past you did not sign up for. We bring in Patrick Olsen, editor-in-chief at Carfax, to break down what a Carfax vehicle history report actually reveals, why “Show me the Carfax” became shorthand for transparency, and how shoppers can use VIN-based data to negotiate with confidence.

We talk about the real-world mechanics behind vehicle history repo...

Some cars disappear so quietly you don’t realize they mattered until they’re gone. We kick things off by digging into forgotten 1960s cars that used to be everywhere, including the Plymouth Valiant Signet, Rambler American, Mercury Meteor, Chevrolet Biscayne, Mercury Comet Cyclone, and the Oldsmobile F-85 Jetfire. These aren’t just trivia picks, they’re a reminder that “popular” and “memora...

A Dakar-designed Ford Raptor T1 is about to find out what American desert racing feels like, and we’re here for every gritty detail. We sit down with Matt Martelli, CEO of Unlimited Off-Road Racing, to talk about why Ford chose the Casey Folks Vegas to Reno run for the Raptor T1’s American debut and what makes this run so different from the rough-and-tumble world of Baja-style courses. Think long distance, high speed, a...

Your car doesn’t just get you places, it reveals what you’re willing to put up with. We’re back on the In Wheel Time car talk show and we jump straight into a question every owner of an older performance car eventually faces: do you modernize it, or do you move on? Don’s 2001 C5 Corvette still has that old-school factory setup, so we talk through the real-world appeal of a modern aftermarket display with Blu...

You’ve probably noticed it at the pump: no more twisting off a grimy gas cap, no more second-guessing whether it clicked tight enough, and fewer random check engine lights tied to EVAP leaks. We dig into the real reasons capless fuel systems took over, from tighter emissions standards and better vapor sealing to cleaner fueling, added security through the locking system, and smart designs that help prevent misfueling with the...

Gas is “down” in Southern California and it’s still in the high fives per gallon, so we start with the kind of reality check every driver understands. Then we zoom out and ask the bigger question: if the economy is supposedly struggling, why are people still buying so many cars, and why are they paying around $50,000 on average for a new one? We cut through the noise and follow the money, the demand, and the on-th...

A three-row SUV that looks traditional can still feel shockingly upscale once you shut the door and settle in. We take you through Don Armstrong’s drive of the 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee, focusing on what actually matters when you’re spending real money: design, comfort, tech, power delivery, ride quality, and where the value lands once the window sticker gets involved.

We walk through the trim lineup, then zoom in...

Touchscreens are getting bigger, buttons are disappearing, and electrification is rewriting what “good value” even means in a new car. We put all of that to the test by driving a lineup that spans luxury, mainstream EV, full-size towing muscle, and sporty sedan practicality, then calling out what impressed us and what would drive us crazy after a month of ownership.

We start with the 2026 Lexus RX 450H Plus, a pl...

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A recall list can feel like boring paperwork until you realize it’s your brakes, your lights, your transmission, and the way your vehicle behaves when you think it’s safely parked. We kick things off with a Ford-heavy slate of safety recalls, talking through what’s affected and why issues like daytime running light behavior, window reversal systems, hands-off detection alerts, unintended vehicle movement, and unex...

A 12-mile road, 156 turns, and stretches with no guardrail is a different kind of “car review” of the human brain. We sit down with Pikes Peak Hill Climb driver Ben Ryan to hear what it’s really like to aim a purpose-built monster at the summit and keep your eyes on the next apex instead of the thousand-foot drop beside you.

Ben breaks down his journey from watching the mountain as a kid to finally earning ...

Recalls and reliability headlines can feel like background noise until you’re the one staring at a warning light and a four-figure estimate. We put the spotlight on five current engine problem cases that keep showing up in owner complaints, class action lawsuits, and government investigations, and we explain why these patterns matter if you’re shopping new or used. You’ll hear what’s being reported, what kin...

A holiday road trip can flip from fun to dangerous in seconds, and that is why we wanted a real-world Fourth of July safety check from Texas Department of Public Safety. We finally reach a trooper out on the roads, talking enforcement, summer traffic, and what it looks like when Texas is packed with visitors and major-event crowds. We also hit a detail that sounds small but gets people in trouble fast: extreme heat and dehydration,...

You can feel the Texas heat through the microphones, and it sparks a simple question with big consequences: where do you go when you want to race your car without doing something stupid on the street? We talk with Scott Striegel from the Texas Muscle Car Club Challenge (TMCCC), a long-running team-on-team bracket racing series that gives everyone a place to compete, learn, and hang out, whether you show up in a true street car or a...

Your car can be perfectly fine one day and on a recall list the next and some of these aren’t minor. We kick things off with a no-nonsense rundown of fresh automotive recalls, including a Hyundai software issue tied to the front camera that can accidentally trigger forward collision avoidance and cause sudden braking. We also talk through recalls touching control arms, instrument panel displays, and seat belt problems across ...

EV hype is easy. Living with an EV in Houston is where things get interesting. We talk honestly about what happens when charging infrastructure feels scattered, pricing feels unpredictable, and road-trip convenience still matters in a city built on long drives and cheap gas. From orange extension cords in the garage to the reality of finding fast chargers when you’re in a pinch, we break down why many drivers are rethinking t...

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The road to the top of Pikes Peak looks beautiful right up until you imagine missing a corner. We call Richard Tomlin from the mountain to get a real-time look at what it takes to compete at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb when the sun is brutal, the air is thin, and even cell service feels like it’s fighting you. 

Richard walks us through a huge milestone for Apex Auto Works: the ApexOSET Miata based buil...

A garage that feels like a private club, a Corvette charity event that keeps getting bigger, and a luxury SUV review with a twist you won’t expect. We sit down with Space City Corvette Club president A.J. Loupe to talk Corvette Day at Garage Ultimate in Friendswood, Texas, where the National Corvette Museum brings its store on site and the community rallies to raise serious money for a great cause. A.J. explains how this even...